When shopping for holiday gifts, it can be difficult to know what a loved one might enjoy. During the holidays, or birthdays, I find myself looking up “best gifts for sisters” and “presents for my dad.” The problem is that none of these topics are all too specific, and there is no way for google to know the specific interests someone you know has. In this post, I highlight the best shop holiday gift set for artists.
Lucky for you, I am an artist myself, and you can consider me your ultimate guide to what an artist friend will enjoy. In particular, these are larger gifts for artist friends. Shop holiday gift sets are typically extensive and elaborate, so keep this in mind when looking through this list.
I have broken down the present options into three categories. Within each category, I have an expensive option and a cheaper option.
For the traveling artist:
Chances are that your artist friend likes to take things on the move. Most traveling artists like things that are compact, versatile, and portable.
When I am on the go, I like to bring things that are all of the above! My go to items are the following:
My moleskine sketchbook, prismacolor double ended markers, sketching pencils, and a portable watercolor kit. These are just the easiest things to take with me that can be put away just as easily.
Having a holder for your markers, brushes, and pencils is essential. It helps you to stay organized, especially when you are not stagnant.
Depending on how many utensils you like to take with you, you can choose a different style. I personally like to overpack, so the bottom photo that I have displayed above is the type of carrier that I have. This is something that every artist needs a variation of.
I have one that is almost identical to this. If you are headed on a trip for a week, or shorter, and have some time to paint at your destination, this is the kit for you. You can throw everything in the center part of the box and unfold it whenever you need to. However, you need a table to balance this on. This is priced around $80 typically, but I found one at Michael’s on sale for $45.
For the detailed artist:
Getting your artistic friend an organizer is perfect if they are very detailed. When I was very focused on perfecting my craft and figuring out what supplies would be in my artistic routine, organizers make all the difference!
Not only is an organizer like this full of compartments, but you can see all of the places that you are putting things. This means that it is much easier to find things, and they do not have to be labeled or remembered. Perfect for any artist that is fine tuning their craft. You can get something like this on Etsy for less than $30.
This one is on etsy
Not only is this option also portable, but it has a ridiculous amount of compartments. It comes with leather cup holders and glass jars for waters, leather paintbrush holders that roll out and attach to the sides, and so much more. However, it is $600! Yikes! I am just giving an example of what that amount of money could get you.
An art supplies case helps artists keep their materials organized and readily accessible. When all supplies are in one place, it’s easier to find what you need, which saves time and minimizes frustration. If you have a very detail oriented artistic friend, it is very important for all of their small materials, that make such a big difference to them, to be properly organized and easy to find.
If your artistic friend loves details, you might want to consider getting them a set of very fine paintbrushes. These ones are on etsy for $27 in a set of 9, all varying in size. Surprisingly, there are very large differences in what you do with a stubby thin paintbrush versus a very long one. They create different textures, lines, and much more.
This could be the perfect gift for them to experiment with that does not break the bank. Artists often have personal preferences for the tools they use. Having a range of small brushes allows artists to choose the one that feels most comfortable and suits their artistic style.
For the efficient artist:
If you are friends with an oil painter, this is something they NEED. I have one of these myself, and it makes my cleanup process so much easier. The idea here is that there is a strainer in their brush cleaner/distilled turpentine/paint thinner, so the sediment from the oil paint is not contaminating their brush or muddying the color. You know when you are painting and the water color makes the paint on your brush less vibrant? Yeah, this prevents it with oil painting.
Not only that, but it’s air tight sealing for the lid and tin. So, for your efficient artist friend, there is less cleanup, less toxic smell, and they can move through their process that much quicker. A must have as an oil painter!
If you have an artistic friend the thrives with efficiency, they also need paint mixing knives, or mini spatulas. These are only $8 on etsy for a pack of five different kinds.
These will make life easier for your artistic friend that paints. The reason why is because they are not having to dirty a whole other paintbrush to mix their paints on their palette, and they are able to wipe these off easily with paper towel or apron and continue on with a new color. This is much easier than having to completely rinse out all of the paint from a brush!
Smaller accessories for your artist friend:
If you are looking for something fun and small that they can enjoy:
A paintbrush rest! This is super cute for your artistic friend to organize their brushes, laying them out without touching the surface. They can also be used to organize markers, charcoal, or any type of thin medium!
Art dice! You can get your friend a set of dice that will tell them what medium to use, what they will be creating, and much more! This could be very fun to do with a group as well.
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